India will play five T20I matches against the Jos Buttler-led side at home, before facing England in an ODI contest, comprising three matches, which will serve as a crucial warm-up for the Champions Trophy, slated to begin on February 19 in Pakistan and Dubai.

All eyes on Mohammed Shami as India begin Champions Trophy preparations

Only three players picked for the five-match T20I contest against England will be part of the Champions Trophy squad, which includes Mohammed Shami, all-rounder Hardik Pandya, and fast bowler Arshdeep Singh. But the focus throughout the T20I contest will be on comeback man Shami, who is set to play his first international match since the 2023 ODI World Cup, having been on the sidelines with an ankle injury, which had required surgery. The recovery from that was followed by swelling on his left knee during the domestic comeback some weeks back.

The 34-year-old made his competitive return in the Ranji Trophy for Bengal, guiding them to their first win of the season with a seven-wicket haul.

He followed it up with impressive performances in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (11 wickets) and the Vijay Hazare Trophy (five wickets).

Overall, the veteran pacer has played just 23 T20I matches in his career since his debut in 2014, his last appearance in the format being in the 2022 T20 World Cup semifinal. He has picked 24 wickets at an average of 29.62 in his career.

After Wednesday’s game in Kolkata, the caravan will move to Chennai for the second T20I (January 25), followed by matches Rajkot (Jan 28), Pune (Jan 31) and Mumbai (February 2). The ODI contest will begin in Nagpur on February 6, followed by Cuttack (February 9) and Ahmedabad (February 12).